


On a Monday Afternoon

by a-nastywoman (kosm)



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Hotel, American Horror Story: Murder House
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kosm/pseuds/a-nastywoman
Summary: Spirits were Billie Dean's forte, not yours, and yet you still found yourself caught up in them.
Relationships: Billie Dean Howard/Original Character(s), Billie Dean Howard/Reader
Kudos: 23





	On a Monday Afternoon

Loving Billie Dean was one of the best gifts you had ever been given. While you knew you were lucky some days just slammed it home, days where all you could feel was a blissful lightness to be in her presence.

There was that day a week ago where she had come home from filming early, you had walked in the door and she was there. Cigarette in hand, silk blouse loosely unbuttoned, and a sinful smile lighting up her face.

Or a month earlier when she had picked you up from work and taken you to a restaurant you had been eyeing up, not that you needed to tell her. She had always noticed small things like that, somehow distinctly in tune with what passed through your mind.

Even just two days ago when she had left for filming with a promise to be home soon as she held you in her arms and showered you with little kisses. It felt incomprehensible to have found a woman as kind and caring as she was. You hadn’t been so lucky in other relationships, friendships, or family.

You smiled to yourself and settled back into your couch, a glass of wine in hand, and an old episode of Billie’s show on in the background. A guilty little pleasure you certainly wouldn’t ever tell her about.

The room was dark and it hadn’t been night time for long. Evenings without Billie always made it harder to sleep, especially being alone and without her warmth beside you.

A chill drifted through the room and you sighed lightly, bundling yourself up tighter and hunkering down for a long night. The house was new to both of you, having just bought it a month ago. One of the first things that Billie had done was cleanse the house before you even stepped foot in it.

Her white light held up well in most circumstances but it never hurt to cleanse the space you were in as well. The light chestnut floorboards creaked and groaned in the distance, wet footsteps lightly padding towards the kitchen.

Clicking the TV off you stood up, brow furrowed in confusion, and a spike of anxiety filling your chest. It was only Monday, Billie wasn’t supposed to be home for another four days and you hadn’t heard the front door open. 

The phone in your pocket began to ring, pulling it out you kept an eye on the hallway in front of you and answered.

“Well hi there sugar, I didn’t think you’d be up so late.” Billie’s voice rang out from the phone and your body froze as you realized that she wasn’t in the house after all. 

“Are you still in New York?” You whispered to her as you slowly walked over with your socked feet barely making any noise. Leaning around the corner of the hallway you looked towards the front door and saw that it was ajar. 

The wind and rain thundered on outside and it was no wonder that you were so cold, the open door let in a draft that covered the room in a humid haze. Wet boot prints tracked from the door and over the mat, and disappeared in the fabric covering the foyer. 

“Of course. I’m here until Friday sweetie.” Billie sounded like she was humoring whatever little joke she likely thought that you were playing, you could practically see the smirk lighting up her lips as she spoke. 

“I think someone is in the house Billie,” you headed towards the kitchen as you spoke hoping to reach the landline so that you could call the police. With the work that Billie did and your previous run-ins with some unsavory people, you didn’t want to take any chances. 

But you also didn’t want to hang up on Billie, her soothing voice was the only thing keeping you semi calm and if something happened at least she would be there to get some help for you. 

“What do you mean? Y/N are you okay?” Her tone hardened in an instant, concern etched into the way she spoke. You could hear her heel start clicking anxiously against the floor in the background, it was the same shaking sound she always made when she was worried or nervous. 

“I heard footsteps and thought it was you but then you called. I just checked and the door is open and there are bootprints in the hallway Billie.” As you rounded the corner turning into the kitchen you saw a shadowed figure standing near the landline.

A ripping sound tore through the air and you watched as the person disconnected the phone from the wall. A fair sign that whatever intentions they had were not good at all.

Backing away slowly you headed towards the front door, keeping a close eye on the figure standing in front of you. Billie’s voice echoed in the background as your anxiety started making everything around you feel as if it were underwater. 

You barely heard her as she repeated your name over and over again, her concern only growing as you didn’t respond and your breathing deepened in distress. You tried to sort frantically through who could be in the house but couldn’t come up with anything. 

“There’s someone in the kitchen Billie,” you whispered as quietly as you could. Wanting her to know that at least for this second you were okay. You hoped desperately that the person in the kitchen wouldn’t hear. 

As you were backing up you stumbled over the mat leading into the foyer and tripped backward, knocking over the coat rack that rested to the side. 

“Fuck,” your breathing picked up as did your heartbeat. Looking up you saw the figure turn quickly and face you. The moonlight drifting in through the kitchen window glinted and reflected off of the sharpened steel they held in their hand.

Another fuck mumbled past your lips as you recognized one of your specially ordered kitchen knives, wishing that you hadn’t ordered them for their exceptionally sharp edge at that moment.

Wishing didn’t do you any good though as the figure pitched forward and started bolting down the hallway after you. 

Dread filled your mind as you stumbled over the coats strewn across the floor and tilted out the front door. Clutching your phone tightly in your hand you heard Billie talking frantically but couldn’t make out any of her words. 

Your ankle twinged in pain from tripping earlier and you knew that there was no chance in hell of outrunning whoever was coming after you. Despite this you still tried as you stumbled down the steps, rain pouring over you and plastering your hair to your face. 

The clothes on your back soaked down and weighed heavily on you as you twisted back to look and see what was happening. Your attacker had closed in fast, clearly much better adapted to running in the dark than you were. 

You felt your heart drop in your chest as you saw the figure approach, your feet feeling leaden and weighed down by the fear that struck through you like a snap of lightning. For all you knew you might die here.

“I love you Billie Dean, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” The phone slipped from your hand and smashed against the pavement as your attacker barrelled into you and tackled you down. Your head smacked harshly against the stone and you went out like a light. 

— 

A groan tumbled from your lips as you woke up, your head pounded painfully and an ache tore up your spine. Your memories splintered in slowly, remembering being home and on the phone with Billie. 

You sat up sharply as you remembered being attacked, looking around you a curse tumbled out from underneath your lips as you saw the situation you were in. 

Luckily enough you were strewn out across the street side, rain battering down on you and your body frozen in the mid-October chill. Pushing yourself up you gasped out in agony as a shock of pain went through your shoulder. 

Looking down you noticed that your shoulder was in a strange position and you hoped that it had only been dislocated when you had been tackled to the ground.

Holding your head with your uninjured arm you pulled away to a palmful of blood, it seemed that getting smashed into the pavement did more damage than you originally thought.

“What the fuck happened,” shakily gathering yourself, you stood carefully and propped yourself up against your car that rested on the street. Looking over to your house you saw the same figure standing in the window, shrouded in shadows and flickering in the lamplight. 

You watched in confusion as the figure stood stationary, it looked like an echo submerged underwater. Absorbing the light in the room and remaining pitch dark and endless. 

Your skin began to crawl as you felt eyes watching you as the figure’s neck snapped around inhumanely, crouching down and facing you like an animal about to chase down prey.

A shudder seemed to pass through its frame, rippling the air around it and you felt yourself take in a breath at the same time. Almost in sync as if it were mimicking your movements. 

Whatever it was you didn’t want anything to do with it, unspecified entities were Billie’s cup of tea, not yours. So with a renewed sense of determination, and more than a little fear, you limped over to your car and wrenched open the door. 

Cursing to yourself you realized that the keys were still inside the house, resting just beside the front door on the key ring that Billie had gotten for the two of you the same day that you had moved in. 

There was no way you were going back to that house now but you didn’t have many other options. You were new to the neighborhood and didn’t know anyone around you, your phone was now smashed on the street, and you sure as hell didn’t know how to start your car without its keys. 

Simply put, you were fucked. Especially so if that thing in the house decided to make a trip down the driveway again. 

Without thinking you smacked your arm down in frustration and yelped out as a shock of pain echoed through to your damaged shoulder. The pain was enough to make you vomit but you held it in. 

The waves of pain were overwhelming and you couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, you barely even felt it when your head dropped down and smashed into the steering wheel. Passed out again like a light. 

— 

Dry eyes cracked open as you took in the room around you, white walls and clinical music faded together as all the colors in the room blended. Your mouth cracked open and the dry pasty crinkle of your lips made you grimace. 

Shutting your eyes again, you took a moment to breathe and take stock of everything around you. The methodic beeping, chemical smell, and barrage of pain in your body was a good sign that you were in a hospital. 

How you got there was another question entirely. 

Taking a few calming breaths you barely overcame the panic cracking through your chest as your heart rate began to speed up. You could hear a monitor begin beeping frantically as panic overtook you. 

You hear the slap of shoes on concrete flooring as a person ran into the room, in your panic you couldn’t discern what words were being said. But as you opened your eyes frantically you calmed somewhat noticing the nurse scrubs and kind eyes. 

The woman held your hand in hers and coached you through some slow breathing, doing her best to bring you back to the present and pull you out of whatever your brain was sucking you into. 

As you let out one last calming breath you cracked your eyes open and stared up at the woman. Wanting to speak but coughing on your dry throat instead, your eyes watered as you gestured for something to drink. 

The nurse brought you a cup of ice chips and you sucked on one with relief, humming as the soothing liquid wetted your parched throat and sent a wave of calm through you.

“Where am I?” 

The nurse pulled up a chair and sat beside you, taking a quick look over your chart and paging someone over. 

“You’re at Mass General, it looks like a pedestrian noticed you passed out in your car, saw some blood, and brought you in.” 

The evening started to swim back into your mind at her words. The memories of whatever attacked you in the house drifting back and the absolute terror you felt as you tried to run from it. 

You also remembered that your phone was smashed and that Billie Dean was likely having a fit right now. Swearing lightly under your breath you slumped back in the bed. 

“Is there any way you can call my fiancé and let her know that I’m okay?” Looking over at the nurse tiredly you hoped that they had already called her and that she was on her way. 

It was terrifying being in a hospital alone and after the night you had you didn’t want to go back to the house. Let alone have Billie go in there without having it checked out first. 

“We’ve already got in touch with her Ma’am, she was your emergency contact. Last I heard she was at an airport getting a flight over, she sounded frantic.” 

Tears sprung up at her words and you couldn’t help yourself as one escaped. All you wanted at this moment was Billie Dean, you wanted her by your side so she could hold you tight. 

It hadn’t quite hit you yet how close you were to being in an even more dangerous situation but as you felt your body throb you knew that you were extremely lucky. As a few more tears fell you thanked the nurse and hoped that Billie would get here sooner rather than later. 

As you breathed out shakily another woman entered the room, you assumed that this one was a doctor as she wore a white lab coat and seemed much more harried than the nurse did. 

“Hello Y/N, good to see you up. I’m Doctor Bissonette, I’ll be giving you a rundown of everything that we know.” The doctor strode forward and took a quick look at your vitals and charts before she sat down beside you. 

“We took you in around 1 am last night. You came to us with a dislocated shoulder, a broken nose, a slight concussion, and a sprained ankle. Since you were picked up by a pedestrian we weren’t sure what happened.” 

The ache in your body certainly made more sense after you heard her list out your injuries. Getting tackled to the ground by what felt like a metric ton did some decent damage. 

As you explained what happened to the doctor you felt your leg begin to shake nervously, she had mentioned calling the cops and having the house checked out before you were discharged. 

It just reminded you that you were all alone here and you were so anxious about going back to the house that you just about burst into tears. Trying to keep yourself together you calmed at the thought that Billie would get here eventually. 

You only wished you could call her but if she was boarding a flight you wouldn’t be able to get a hold of her anyways. Clutching your hands together you soothed yourself by twirling your engagement ring around. 

Billie had given it to you one month ago after proposing on your first night together in the house the two of you had bought, the house that now seemed like a terrifying monument to everything that had happened. 

Despite that, you couldn’t help but be soothed by the ring as you remembered the look on Billie Dean’s face when you said yes, the medium was so overjoyed that she had picked you up and taken you straight to bed. Her brown eyes alight with happiness, joy, and more than a little arousal. 

Settling back into the bed, soothed now by the happy memories, you thanked the doctor for the information she had given you. The police would stop by the house and clear it before you were discharged and they would follow up for a statement later in the week. 

While you were overwhelmed by that, never a big fan of the police, you felt some comfort in the fact that they would check the house out before you returned. Though deep down you knew it wouldn’t matter because you had a feeling that whatever attack you wasn’t exactly “living.” 

If that were the case, however, you had every bit of faith in Billie Dean and her ability to get rid of whatever was lingering around. If she couldn’t do it you knew that she would find somebody who could.

Though if she let you stay there alone after this you would be shocked, the medium was nothing if not protective and caring. Maybe you’d be lucky enough to have her stay home with you for a while, the thought filled you with some warmth as entering the house again wouldn’t seem so bad with her by your side. 

The doctor confirmed all of your information and administered a mild sedative for the pain. As you started to drift off to sleep you imagined that Billie Dean was right there beside you and nodded off with a smile. 

— 

The next time you woke up it was to the sound of stressed arguing in the hallway, blinking your eyes open blearily you almost regretted taking the sedative. 

“This is ridiculous! I’m her fiancé, you have to let me in.” Billie Dean’s voice made you perk up in your seat, tears springing to your eyes as you finally heard the voice that you had missed so much. 

“I’m sorry Ms. Howard but it is past visiting hours.” 

Coughing out lightly you tried to call out for Billie despite your sore throat, it seemed to work as you heard the quick clack of heels speeding towards the door. 

Billie burst through with a frantic look on her face, as soon as she saw you alive and semi-well the look of fear dropped and she rushed over to you. 

Dropping herself down on to the bed beside you, Billie pulled you into her arms. Wincing slightly at being jostled you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything as you were finally feeling safe and secure. 

Billie Dean’s husky perfume filled your nose and her soft golden curls brushed against your neck. Feeling her warm arms holding you made a sob burst out from your throat desperately. 

“I’ve got you sugar, I’ve got you.” Billie’s voice shook and it was one of the few times you had ever seen her so out of sorts but as you pulled back to look at her you took in every small detail. 

Her blond hair was messed and uncoiled, she was still in her filming clothes and they looked matted and rain worn, and you could see the leftover streaks of what looked like smeared mascara under her swollen eyelids. 

Seeing how out of sorts she was only made you cry more and as you pulled her back into you, her arms circling your shaking body, you couldn’t help but be grateful that she had made it here so fast. 

Billie’s hands grasped desperately at your arms, rubbing and pawing at you like she couldn’t believe that you were there in the flesh. She had burrowed your head into her neck and wrapped you up tight, so tight it was like she never wanted to let go. 

“What do you need baby? What can I do?” Billie’s voice shook and you watched as she took a deep breath, calming herself, and as she looked at you it was as if you felt her calm roll-off to you as well. 

“Hold me please,” your words were whispers as you held her face in your palm. Nuzzling your face into hers, you placed a light kiss on the slope of her delicate neck. 

Billie Dean settled herself further into the hospital bed, shifting you over and pulling you against her frame. She held your head to her neck and soothingly ran her fingers through your hair, her other arm held you at your waist and you felt her nails dig in to hold you tighter. 

You couldn’t say how long you laid in her arms for but by the time you roused and felt up to speaking there was daylight coming in through the wide windows.

Billie hadn’t said anything, she didn’t pressure you for answers or ask what happened. She just held you tight and whispered how much she loved you over and over again, cooing softly and dropping kisses against your exposed skin. 

But now as you rustled and moved in the bed you felt her take in a deep breath and look down at you. 

“What happened baby?” Her voice no longer shook and she sounded more like her old self, confident and calm but you could still feel the underlying fear in her body as she occasionally shook her heel or twirled her pearl necklace in her hands. 

“I thought you had come home but when you called I went to look around the house, the door was open and there was something in the kitchen.” Taking a deep breath you leaned against Billie as she held your hand tightly in hers. 

“It was holding a knife so I tried to back out quietly but I tripped over the coat rack and it started chasing me down the hallway. I made it outside but my ankle hurt so much I couldn’t go any faster,” your voice shook as you re-lived the moment and the absolute fear you had felt. 

“I-I thought that I was going to die, Billie, I thought I’d never get to see you again. It tackled me to the ground and I was knocked out. When I came to I was just laying on the street.” 

At your words Billie took in a deep breath, her hands tightening on you as she held you closer to her. As if she could protect you from anything at that moment, and you knew that if she could protect you she would. 

“I saw it in the window again but I don’t think it was human Billie, it looked like a shadow and the light from inside didn’t brighten it at all. It twisted it’s neck all the way around and twitched and shook.” 

You started crying again as you told her what you saw. You knew that Billie would believe you since she had been attacked multiple times by many different entities that were strong enough to have a physical presence. 

You had never really experienced anything supernatural before, you weren’t gifted with any sort of sight like Billie was but despite that, you always believed her and supported her with her work as a medium. 

And if this is what Billie dealt with when she went away on her trips, well you felt a new sense of fear rise up for her safety. A fear you hadn’t felt before when you thought that it was all just voices and visions. 

“It’s okay sugar. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it okay? Everything is going to be just fine, you’re safe with me.” 

Tilting your head up you looked at Billie with concern, she was speaking but you couldn’t hear any of the words that she was saying. As your breathing quickened you saw Billie look down at you with worry.

As she realized what was happening she started to breathe heavier, making her chest rise and fall. Holding your face in her hands she mimicked slow breathing until you fell into sync with her.

This went on for a few more minutes until the sound in the room began filtering back in. 

“You’re safe baby, I’m here and I’m going to take care of this okay?” Her words were confident and you knew that came from years of working with spirits and all manner of things that cause chaos for normal people. 

“But what if you get hurt, Billie? Is this the kind of stuff you deal with all the time?” You watched as Billie Dean’s eyes softened, a warmth radiating out of her as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

As she lingered there for a few moments, holding her lips to you, a smile grew and her soft brown eyes shined. 

“Sometimes, but usually it’s just lost people, baby. Whatever this is, I promise you I can handle it. I know how to keep myself safe.” 

Her words soothed the fear that had sprung up inside of you and she went on to explain that the entity likely left you alone because you had passed the property line. A bound spirit usually couldn’t go any further than that. Calmer now, you settled down into her arms again but you both startled at the ringing of a phone. 

Billie sighed as she picked hers up, glaring down at it as she answered with a snap to her tone. 

“What do you want Robert? I told you not to disturb me.” 

Frown deepening, Billie sighed and turned to the side. Holding your hand tightly in hers and keeping you close. 

“No. Absolutely not, I don’t care about production deadlines.” 

Anxiety began to fill your chest as you listened to the one-sided conversation. You knew that Robert was her production manager, and it didn’t take much to gather that Billie must have interrupted filming deadlines by coming back to Los Angeles. 

Billie had just gotten here and the thought of her leaving so soon, after everything that had happened, made your anxiety worse. Trying to stay calm you waited as she finished the conversation and hung up with a snap. 

“Please don’t leave me, Billie,” you couldn’t bring yourself to look at her as you asked. Despite everything you felt embarrassed about wanting her to stay, she was probably too busy to be here and you felt selfish for asking. 

Billie turned back to you and cupped your face gently in her soft hands, her acrylic nails pricking lightly against your skin and bringing you slightly back to the present. 

“I won’t leave you, baby, I’m not going anywhere.” Leaning down, she brought your face closer to hers. You watched as her lips lowered, somehow still perfect and unaffected, her pink lipstick seemed to be the only intact part of her usual look. 

Gazing up at her, you waited as she brought her lips to yours, that first soft touch filled you with warmth. You had missed her so much and as her lips glided over yours, tongue soothing out, you pulled her in desperately and kissed her hard. 

A shock of pain went through your broken nose but you didn’t care.

Billie’s hands smoothed down your back and grasped your waist tightly, bringing you closer to her as she nipped down on your lip and coaxed her tongue into your mouth. 

Pulling back with a smile, Billie leaned her forehead against yours, lips brushing gently against each other with every breath that you both took. 

“If you think I’m going anywhere you’re wrong, I would never leave you like this sugar and if I ever have to I’ll always come back.” 

Your heart thudded heavily in your chest as you felt your face warm with a pink flush, Billie Dean never failed to make you blush like it was the first day the two of you had met. 

On that day you had thought that Billie wouldn’t want anything to do with you, she was much older, accomplished, and collected. Three things that you certainly weren’t. But despite that she had swooped in with her sparkling gazes, teasing touches, and an endless barrage of charm. 

People had always said that Billie Dean Howard was a lady killer and you had never believed it until you had met her for yourself. Now, years later, you fell in love all over again every time she opened her sweet mouth. 

As the both of you settled back into the hospital bed, a small smile rested on your lips as you watched the woman you love smirk back at you. Everything would be alright in time with Billie Dean around, you knew that for a fact. 

— 

It had taken a few months for everything to go back to normal in the house. After leaving the hospital Billie had rented out a hotel for the two of you while she went back to the house alone. 

Having confirmed that it was a negative spirit, Billie quickly worked her medium magic to rid the house of the entity. It was surprising to both of you that she had not noticed the presence in the first place. 

Regardless, it took some time for you to be able to stay in the house alone without feeling some fear or anxiety. Billie had stayed with you every step of the way, she had canceled the final leg of her series and postponed it for a later date. 

You would’ve never asked that of her but she wanted to be with you and if you were both honest, she was also shaken up by the incident as well. Luckily Billie had already gained her notoriety so postponing her show wouldn’t hurt too much down the line. 

This was the first weekend that she had been gone since the incident, now that you were feeling more stable you had encouraged her to get back to work and after many discussions, she had agreed. 

This night mirrored that horrible one many months ago, you were awake very late and watching an old episode of Billie’s show. The only difference this time was that when the door creaked open you didn’t feel any fear, instead, your heart warmed when you heard the clack of heels on the floor. 

Rounding the corner Billie walked up with a smirk on her face, sitting beside you and pulling you into her lap as she kissed you with fervor. 

“See? I told you, baby, I’m always going to come back.” Nudging her nose against yours she turned at the sound of her voice. Looking over at the television a boisterous laugh broke out of her chest.

“Did you miss me sugar?” You reluctantly nodded your head, you had always hoped your little late-night Billie Dean marathons would remain a secret. 

“Well, why don’t you let me take care of that?” 

Billie shifted you so that you were straddling her lap and with her usual charming smirk she began to unbutton your shirt, drifting kisses down as she went. 

You laughed at her words as the two of you set about making some better night time memories. Happiness filled you as you remembered that there were so many more to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @a-nastywoman


End file.
